A selection from the lyrical poems of Robert Herrick Part 3

--These, nay, and more, thine own shall be, If thou wilt love, and live with me.

18. THE Wa.s.sAIL

Give way, give way, ye gates, and win An easy blessing to your bin And basket, by our entering in.

May both with manchet stand replete; Your larders, too, so hung with meat, That though a thousand, thousand eat,

Yet, ere twelve moons shall whirl about Their silv'ry spheres, there's none may doubt But more's sent in than was served out.

Next, may your dairies prosper so, As that your pans no ebb may know; But if they do, the more to flow,

Like to a solemn sober stream, Bank'd all with lilies, and the cream Of sweetest cowslips filling them.

Then may your plants be press'd with fruit, Nor bee or hive you have be mute, But sweetly sounding like a lute.

Last, may your harrows, shares, and ploughs, Your stacks, your stocks, your sweetest mows, All prosper by your virgin-vows.

--Alas! we bless, but see none here, That brings us either ale or beer; In a dry-house all things are near.

Let's leave a longer time to wait, Where rust and cobwebs bind the gate; And all live here with needy fate;

Where chimneys do for ever weep For want of warmth, and stomachs keep With noise the servants' eyes from sleep.

It is in vain to sing, or stay Our free feet here, but we'll away: Yet to the Lares this we'll say:

'The time will come when you'll be sad, 'And reckon this for fortune bad, 'T'ave lost the good ye might have had.'

19. THE FAIRIES

If ye will with Mab find grace, Set each platter in his place; Rake the fire up, and get Water in, ere sun be set.

Wash your pails and cleanse your dairies, s.l.u.ts are loathsome to the fairies; Sweep your house; Who doth not so, Mab will pinch her by the toe.

20. CEREMONY UPON CANDLEMAS EVE

Down with the rosemary, and so Down with the bays and misletoe; Down with the holly, ivy, all Wherewith ye dress'd the Christmas hall; That so the superst.i.tious find No one least branch there left behind; For look, how many leaves there be Neglected there, maids, trust to me, So many goblins you shall see.

21. CEREMONIES FOR CANDLEMAS EVE

Down with the rosemary and bays, Down with the misletoe; Instead of holly, now up-raise The greener box, for show.

The holly hitherto did sway; Let box now domineer, Until the dancing Easter-day, Or Easter's eve appear.

Then youthful box, which now hath grace Your houses to renew, Grown old, surrender must his place Unto the crisped yew.

When yew is out, then birch comes in, And many flowers beside, Both of a fresh and fragrant kin, To honour Whitsuntide.

Green rushes then, and sweetest bents, With cooler oaken boughs, Come in for comely ornaments, To re-adorn the house.

Thus times do shift; each thing his turn does hold; New things succeed, as former things grow old.

22. THE CEREMONIES FOR CANDLEMAS DAY

Kindle the Christmas brand, and then Till sunset let it burn; Which quench'd, then lay it up again, Till Christmas next return.

Part must be kept, wherewith to teend The Christmas log next year; And where 'tis safely kept, the fiend Can do no mischief there.

23. FAREWELL FROST, OR WELCOME SPRING

Fled are the frosts, and now the fields appear Reclothed in fresh and verdant diaper; Thaw'd are the snows; and now the l.u.s.ty Spring Gives to each mead a neat enamelling; The palms put forth their gems, and every tree Now swaggers in her leafy gallantry.

The while the Daulian minstrel sweetly sings With warbling notes her Terean sufferings.

--What gentle winds perspire! as if here Never had been the northern plunderer To strip the trees and fields, to their distress, Leaving them to a pitied nakedness.

And look how when a frantic storm doth tear A stubborn oak or holm, long growing there,-- But lull'd to calmness, then succeeds a breeze That scarcely stirs the nodding leaves of trees; So when this war, which tempest-like doth spoil Our salt, our corn, our honey, wine, and oil, Falls to a temper, and doth mildly cast His inconsiderate frenzy off, at last, The gentle dove may, when these turmoils cease, Bring in her bill, once more, the branch of Peace.

24. TO THE MAIDS, TO WALK ABROAD

Come, sit we under yonder tree, Where merry as the maids we'll be; And as on primroses we sit, We'll venture, if we can, at wit; If not, at draw-gloves we will play, So spend some minutes of the day; Or else spin out the thread of sands, Playing at questions and commands: Or tell what strange tricks Love can do, By quickly making one of two.

Thus we will sit and talk, but tell No cruel truths of Philomel, Or Phillis, whom hard fate forced on To kill herself for Demophon; But fables we'll relate; how Jove Put on all shapes to get a Love; As now a satyr, then a swan, A bull but then, and now a man.

Next, we will act how young men woo, And sigh and kiss as lovers do; And talk of brides; and who shall make That wedding-smock, this bridal-cake, That dress, this sprig, that leaf, this vine, That smooth and silken columbine.

This done, we'll draw lots who shall buy And gild the bays and rosemary; What posies for our wedding rings; What gloves we'll give, and ribbonings; And smiling at our selves, decree Who then the joining priest shall be; What short sweet prayers shall be said, And how the posset shall be made With cream of lilies, not of kine, And maiden's-blush for spiced wine.

Thus having talk'd, we'll next commend A kiss to each, and so we'll end.

25. CORINA'S GOING A MAYING

Get up, get up for shame! the blooming morn Upon her wings presents the G.o.d unshorn.

See how Aurora throws her fair Fresh-quilted colours through the air: Get up, sweet-slug-a-bed, and see The dew bespangling herb and tree.

Each flower has wept, and bow'd toward the east, Above an hour since; yet you not drest, Nay! not so much as out of bed?